


You Let Me Lose My Shadow

by colonel_bastard



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Daddy Kink, F/F, Horny Teenagers, M/M, Teacher-Student Relationship, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-22 19:36:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4847780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colonel_bastard/pseuds/colonel_bastard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Well, congratulations, Mr. Hamada,</i> Tadashi thinks to himself, sitting there in the shadow of the faculty table.  <i>It’s your sixth year.  You’ve got the grade, you’ve got the spot in his class, now what are you going to do about it?</i> </p><p>OR: the one where Hufflepuff Prefect Tadashi has a crush on Slytherin Charms Professor Callaghan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Let Me Lose My Shadow

**Author's Note:**

> written for my dear [wuffen](wuffen.tumblr.com)— I always knew I'd write you a calladashi fic one day. 
> 
> this one's gonna be coming at you in friendly bite-size pieces, since I don't have time to sit down and write a proper epic. I mean, it's probably gonna turn into a proper epic, but at least you'll be able to see the pieces of it sooner than waiting for the whole beast to finish gestating!
> 
> I have a whole playlist of dopey teen love songs for this one. The title of the fic comes from the awesomely ridiculous [Boom Clap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOPMlIIg_38) which, for me, perfectly encompasses the awesomely ridiculous feeling of being a teenager in love.
> 
> warning for underage since Tadashi's sixteen.

-

-

-

Tadashi always gets his first sighting of the year at the Start-of-Term Feast. He doesn’t know how it’s possible, but every time he’s somehow even more excited than he was the year before; a progression that shows in the evolution of his annual seat selection. Early on he stayed towards the middle of the Hufflepuff benches, a central location so he could meet more people and hopefully make more friends. As time went on and his priorities shifted, however, he’s moved further and further in the direction of the faculty table. Now that he’s Prefect he has the ideal excuse to sit all the way up at the front of the Great Hall, where he fidgets and cranes his neck until he finally gets a glimpse of what he’s been waiting for all summer. 

Professor Callaghan enters laughing, his head inclined towards Professor McGonagall as she relates some humorous anecdote about her holiday. Tadashi is too far away to actually hear it, but he has the sound memorized and has no trouble filling in the gap with his imagination. At the very sight of Callaghan he feels something like a fist unclenching inside of him, like he’s been holding his breath for three months, or sitting in a dark room and somebody just turned on the light. _There he is. Right there. He’s real._

The mind’s-eye image of Callaghan that he’s been clinging to dissolves like a desert mirage in the presence of the real thing. Three months have left Tadashi starved for details, and he does his absolute best to be discreet as he drinks in the view. As usual, Callaghan is dressed in muted natural tones; brown robes over a green sweater vest, a blue shirt underneath. _Just like the world,_ Tadashi thinks, _earth, forest, and sky._ McGonagall finishes her story and Callaghan smiles, big and warm and genuine, bringing out the generous laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. His hair looks like it might have gone a shade more towards silver since the last time Tadashi saw him. Then again, that could just be wishful thinking. 

He’s so engrossed in his study that he doesn’t even notice the approach of his fellow students, not until Fred gets right up behind him and bellows, “Tadashi, my _man!_ ” at which point Tadashi does his very best not to shriek _what I wasn’t staring at anybody what are you talking about that’s **crazy!**_

“Hey, Fred,” he manages to say instead, to his immense relief. “Have a good summer?”

“The _best._ ” Fred flops down onto the Hufflepuff bench beside him. “We were at the beach house in the Hamptons— dude, New York City is the pizza capital of the _world._ ” 

For as long as Tadashi has known him, Fred has always seemed to spend the holiday at a different vacation home in a different luxurious location every year; one of the many perks of being the only son of Family #3 on the Daily Prophet’s list of _The Ten Wealthiest Wizarding Dynasties_. Everyone expected him to be a total snob about it, but somehow he’s turned out to be the exact opposite. Tadashi would be lying if he said he didn’t feel the occasional twinge of jealousy, but it really helps that Fred is just about the farthest possible thing from a stuck-up jerk. It also helps that Fred is one of the only other students with a comprehensive knowledge of Muggle pop culture. Tadashi would have been lost without someone to babble with him about Star Wars and stupid YouTube videos. 

“So where’s Mini-Me?” Fred wonders, glancing idly about. “Wasn’t your brother gonna tag along this year?”

“He wishes,” Tadashi smirks. “McGonagall denied his request. He doesn’t turn eleven till January— _it would be inappropriate._ ”

“That’s rough.”

“Hey, he gets to spend a whole year practicing. By the time he gets here he’s gonna make me look like...”

“...me?” Fred supplies, and they both crack up. 

“Tadashi!” Honey Lemon sings out, bounding down the aisle towards them at top speed. 

Still laughing, Tadashi stands up to receive her full-body hug, wrapping his arms around her slim waist and squeezing with all his might while she squeals and kicks her feet up off the ground in glee. Best friends since their first ride on the Hogwarts Express, they were both immeasurably relieved when they were Sorted into complimentary Houses; the Ravenclaw table is directly adjacent to Hufflepuff, and traditionally they’re always paired together for shared classes. Honey’s owl must have spent half the summer at Tadashi’s house, the endless stream of letters a poor substitute for the hours they usually spend gabbing together on the Hogwarts grounds. 

“Oh my gosh,” Honey gasps when he sets her down again. “I _love_ your haircut. You look so handsome!”

Tadashi pushes a hand through his hair with a self-conscious grimace. “Really?”

“Definitely.” She winks at him. “Very... _mature._ ”

Tadashi can feel the tips of his ears flush red with embarrassment as he gives her a punitive swat on the arm. “Shut up!” 

Giggling, she glances up towards the faculty table, then leans in towards Tadashi and whispers, “That blue shirt really brings out his eyes, don’t you think?”

“Ugh,” Tadashi groans softly in response. “Just kill me now.” 

“Whassup, Honey Lems?” Fred calls from the bench. 

“Hi, Fred,” Honey calls back cheerfully. “I love your... non-haircut!” 

“Thanks! I woke up like this!” 

“So,” Tadashi says, now whispering for Honey to hear. “Have you seen her yet?”

Honey pushes her hands up under her glasses so she can mash them against her face and drag them downwards in a suitably theatrical expression of total emotional meltdown. 

“H’ohhhhh my gosh she dyed her hair with _purple highlights_ it is _amazing_ she’s _amazing._ ”

Tadashi gives her shoulder a sympathetic pat even while he rises up onto his toes and tries to get a look over at the Gryffindor table. He spots GoGo Tomago sitting in the midst of her Quidditch team, her tie slung rakishly loose from her collar and her hair indeed embellished with thrillingly rebellious streaks of purple. She’ll probably get a piercing next, or maybe even a tattoo. Tadashi can’t wait for _that_ Honey Lemon meltdown. 

“Hey, Tadashi,” Wasabi has arrived at their end of the tables. “Did you get a haircut?” 

“I did, yeah,” Tadashi laughs as he gives him a quick hug. “Always an eye for detail.” 

“Wasabi!” Honey throws her arms around her fellow Ravenclaw Prefect. “It’s so good to see you! Did you get even _taller?_ You look amazing!” 

“Still growing, I guess,” Wasabi shrugs his broad shoulders. “Dad says I should go out for Quidditch. Beater’s build.” 

“You hate Quidditch,” Tadashi points out.

Wasabi shudders. “Chaos on broomsticks.” 

“I don’t know,” Honey blushes and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think it’s exciting.” 

“So is a tornado!” Wasabi laments. “That doesn’t mean I want to rush out and jump into the middle of one!” 

The animated conversation about things-that-are-exciting-to-watch-from-a-safe-and-reasonable-distance continues as the two of them find their way over to the nearest vacancy on the Ravenclaw bench. A quick glance at Fred shows him to be completely absorbed in his ogling of the food selection, which leaves a window of opportunity for Tadashi to sneak another look up at the faculty table. Callaghan is still smiling. 

Before the Feast can begin, McGonagall comes forward to give a few words as Headmistress. Tadashi is certain that the speech is characteristically excellent— she is, after all, his second-favorite professor in the whole school— but he’s not really listening to it, on account of being distracted by his favorite. He keeps the glances furtive and inconspicuous, cherishing every wise nod of agreement or amused shake of Callaghan’s head. Tadashi could probably write a book about Callaghan’s micro expressions, including a full glossary for hand gestures and several appendices detailing the depth and variance of his laughter. Then he’d buy a copy of that book and read it until the pages fell out of the binding. 

It didn’t used to be like this. When Tadashi first came to Hogwarts, all he really needed was a father. His own had passed away two years prior, and while Aunt Cass was doing her best, he felt an aching void in his life where the warm paternal presence should be. Professor Callaghan was the perfect candidate: keen and intelligent, he demanded excellence from his students, but did so with such grace and gentleness that Tadashi gravitated towards him like a plant clamoring for sunlight. Callaghan was always so patient and encouraging; surely he must have been a father himself. Tadashi loved him and it was simple as that. 

Of course, it’s all fun and games until somebody hits puberty. 

Fourth year was like slipping off the edge of Rainbow Road and tumbling endlessly into the void. Tadashi was fourteen and suddenly all he could think about was Callaghan’s _hands,_ how big they were, how strong they must be, oh God, his forearms are so hairy _I wonder what that feels like._ He might have gone full-on supernova if he hadn’t blurted this all out late one night to Honey Lemon, when they stayed up studying in the library and she asked him why he was struggling in Charms class. Honey happened to know a thing or two about agonizing unrequited crushes. If they hadn’t been best friends before, they were friends for _life_ now.

Then came fifth year, when everything Tadashi had went into the effort of securing an Outstanding on his Charms O.W.L. Callaghan only took N.E.W.T. students with the highest grade, and there was no way in hell Tadashi wasn’t going to be in that classroom every single moment he could until they threw him bodily out the front door of the school on graduation day. His social life was non-existent and his nerves were shot by the time he sat for the exam, but it was all worth it when the owl came a few weeks later to let him know that he was eligible to take Charms at the N.E.W.T. level.

 _Well, congratulations, Mr. Hamada,_ he thinks to himself, sitting there in the shadow of the faculty table. _It’s your sixth year. You’ve got the grade, you’ve got the spot in his class, now what are you going to do about it?_

Somewhere along the line McGonagall must have finished her speech; Tadashi notices belatedly that everyone around him has already started eating, their plates loaded with goodies and the whole Hall ringing with the sound of cutlery in action. He looks down at his own pointedly empty dish and sighs. Before he reaches out for the mashed potatoes, however, he takes one last peek up towards where the professors are sitting. 

And in the worst possible coincidence, at that _very_ moment, Callaghan glances in his direction.

Their eyes lock. 

It’s some sort of miracle that Tadashi doesn’t actually scream in panic. Instead he just wrenches his gaze forward again, staring unseeing past the pot roast and the pumpkin juice, his heartbeat hammering in his skull. _Be cool. It was just an accident. It could have happened to anybody._ Callaghan can’t _know,_ right? Of course not. That would be ridiculous. It was a total blind fluke that he looked at Tadashi just now. He’s probably looking at everybody, one by one, you know, just checking in with all the students. 

Except when Tadashi finally works up the nerve to make sure, Callaghan is still looking back at him.

He keeps his eyes on his plate for the rest of the Feast.

 

 

 

_____________to be continued.


End file.
